All Saints Waterfalls

The Lierbach drops about ninety metres in seven cascades through a narrow granite gorge, with a stepped path and bridges climbing alongside. Above the falls stand the ruins of Allerheiligen, a Premonstratensian abbey founded around 1196; it was struck by lightning and burned in 1470 and again in 1555, was rebuilt each time, then dissolved in 1803 and struck once more in 1804, after which the buildings were sold and quarried for stone. What remains is the Gothic church shell, roofless, with its arches standing in a wooded valley. The site is used for open-air performances in summer.

Background

The stream is the Lierbach, also called the Grindenbach, and the falls lie at about 500 m above NN in the territory of Oppenau. Below each step the water has scoured basin-like hollows known as Gumpen, which give the falls their other names, the Büttensteiner Waterfalls, or Tub Stone falls, and Sieben Bütten, the Seven Tubs. The highest cascade measures 13 m, and the falls are 5 metres wide. For centuries they belonged to All Saints' Abbey, whose ruins stand a few hundred metres away, yet they were only explored in the early 19th century, with the help of ladders. The forestry authorities laid the path of steps and bridges in 1840.

Source: Wikipedia, "All Saints Waterfalls"

The landscape

• The seven cascades - about ninety metres of drops through a granite gorge.
• The abbey ruin - a roofless Gothic shell above the falls.
• The stepped path - bridges and steps climbing beside the water.
• The lightning history - a building repeatedly struck and finally quarried.

When to go

May to October; flow is strongest in spring. The path is icy and often closed in winter. Summer performances use the ruins in the evenings.

Things to know

The path is steep with many steps and slippery when wet. Late summer reduces the flow. Parking is paid and limited on weekends.

Nearby

The Black Forest High Road runs above; Oppenau lies below.

Key facts